An Act designating the State Highway Route No. 72 bridge over Manahawkin Bay as the
"Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge," and making an appropriation.

Whereas, Mr. Dorland J. "Don" Henderson was born at the beginning of the twentieth
century and had to overcome discrimination in the early part of the century to become one of
the top engineers at the New Jersey Department of Transportation; and

Whereas, Mr. Henderson, as Chief of the Department of Transportation's Electrical Bureau
and the Division of Traffic Engineering, had many outstanding personal and professional
achievements; and

Whereas, Mr. Henderson's professional achievements included designing the innovative
and now historically-classic lighting system for the State Highway Route No. 72 bridge, built
in 1958, which is made of 768 separate light fixtures inserted in the hand railing and creates a
night time "string of pearls" visual effect over Manahawkin Bay; and

Whereas, By his own account, Mr. Henderson experienced in his life many forms of
"discrimination, segregation and job denials"; and

Whereas, Mr. Henderson took it upon himself to ensure that all persons who worked for
him worked in an environment free of racial distinctions; and

Whereas, As Chief Engineer of the Department of Transportation's Electrical Bureau and
the Division of Traffic Engineering, Mr. Henderson began a policy of removing references to
race, creed, color or national origin from all personnel forms and records so as to create, "A
wholesome atmosphere in the Division, a feeling that we are all Americans with no
adjectives or hyphenation"; and

Whereas, Mr. Henderson, who lived in Newark, died in 1996 at the age of 96; and

Whereas, In honor of Mr. Henderson's service to this State and his personal and
professional achievements, it is appropriate to designate the Route 72 bridge in his honor;
now, therefore,

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Commissioner of Transportation is directed to designate the State Highway Route No.
72 bridge over Manahawkin Bay in Stafford Township, Ocean County, as the "Dorland J.
Henderson Memorial Bridge."

2. There is appropriated from the General Fund, for purposes of implementing section 1 of
this act, $2,500 to the Department of Transportation for the costs of appropriate signs bearing
the designation of the "Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge."